Jury trial for alleged North Somercotes playgroup fraudster

A supervisor at North Somercotes Playgroup is set to face a jury trial after being charged with defrauding the organisation out of more than £44,000 last year.

Julie Sharp, 49, of East Row in South Somercotes, allegedly committed the offence between January 1 and March 16, 2016.

The charge alleges that Sharp “dishonestly, with a view to gain for yourself or another or intent to cause loss to another in furnishing information for the purpose of payment of wages to yourself and (another person), produced or made use of a record, namely North Somercotes Playgroup accounts, made or required for an accounting purpose which to your knowledge was or may have been misleading, false or deceptive in a material particular, namely that you made a total gain of £44,189”.

Sharp entered no plea when she appeared at Boston Magistrates’ Court on December 21. She was granted bail, and was sent for trial on January 18.